What is happening at the Center for Women's Health?

As many of you have heard, there will be a change in the staffing at the Center for Women's Health (CFWH) at Evergreen Hospital. In the past, the practice consisted of six OB/GYNs and they employed a team of 5 Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs). The groups each handled their own patient loads and collaborated when needed. As of November 17th, 3 of the CNMs will be leaving. Shana Burton CNM, ARNP and Michele Jackson CNM, ARNP will remain with the CFWH, offering prenatal care as well as some labor and birth support.

How/Why was this decision made?

The specific details are not clear, but we do know that this was mainly a financial decision and it was made internally by the Center for Women's Health. Because the CFWH is a private practice, Evergreen Hospital itself had no say in this change.

What does this mean for me as a patient?

Will I be seen by a midwife prenatally?Yes. The midwives will be on staff M-F to attend prenatal appointments.

Will a midwife attend my labor?Possibly. This is where we don't have a lot of answers yet. It would be impossible for the two remaining midwives to share the on-call schedule for all of the patients who desire a midwife-attended birth. They will be sharing call with the remaining 6 OB/GYNs.

Will the remaining OB/GYNs honor my wishes for my birth?Possibly. The remaining OB/GYNs have a different model of care than CNMs and therefore they can't guarantee that women seeking a low-intervention delivery will have that support.

I was hoping to have a CNM attend my VBAC, is this possible?As of now it is a possibility, as the midwives will still be available for their on-call times. The midwives will not be attending VBAC deliveries after March 2012 because it is required of their licensing board and malpractice insurance to have an OB/GYN backup on premise for all TOLACs.

What can we hope for in the future?

As of right now, it seems the best option for the Midwifery Model of Care to remain a full service option at Evergreen is for the Hospital itself to hire a team of midwives large enough to share call-times (about 5 CNMs), who will be supported by a team of OB/GYN Hospitalists. The only way we can see this option be considered fully by Evergreen is to make our voices heard that this is what we want.

How can we show that we want FULL Midwifery Services to remain at Evergreen?

Visit the "What can I do?" page on this site to see the current events and support opportunities.

The people who need to hear our voice are the Evergreen Board of Commissioners:"As a Public Hospital District, Evergreen is governed by a publicly-elected Board of Commissioners. The Board has ultimate responsibility and accountability for the District, which is operated on behalf of the District's constituents. The Board provides the legal oversight to help Evergreen strive to assure access by the community to high quality medical care and related services. The Commissioners approve major financial decisions for the District, and have many other responsibilities as provided by law." (from the Evergeen web site)